Kids in Westerns were fairly common as far back as the 1930's, but it's always surprising to me when a youngster is killed or allowed to die like you find here in "Santa Fe Stampede". Young Julie Carson (Genee Hall) and her father Dave (William Farnum) are snuffed by henchmen of Santa Fe Junction's mayor, Gilbert Byron (Le Roy Mason). Though you only see their buckboard crash over a small cliff, this viewer was left wondering if there was some way to have the young lady saved from the wreckage, but that wasn't to be. Considering that a lot of these programmers were meant for Saturday afternoon matinée crowds catering to youngsters, I tried to imagine how kids of the same age might have reacted to the scene.For his trouble, Stony Brooke (John Wayne) is framed for the murders, and it's up to his partners Tucson Smith (Ray Corrigan) and Lullaby Joslin (Max Terhune) to come to the rescue. Together, the trio is The Three Mesquiteers, summoned by Dave Carson for their help in securing his gold claim before things go horribly bad. With virtually every authority figure in town in the pocket of crooked Mayor Byron, it won't be easy for the boys to pull off their heroics. But don't worry, the Mesquiteers will wrap this up in under an hour like they always do.For John Wayne, this was his third appearance for Republic Pictures as a Mesquiteer, replacing Robert Livingston in the series who was promoted to feature films. Wayne appeared in six films with Corrigan and Terhune; in the final two Terhune was replaced by Ray Hatton. The Mesquiteers series was somewhat of a merry-go-round for the principal players, who found themselves trading off partners over the course of fifty one pictures. Other 'B' Western greats who appeared in the series included Duncan Renaldo, Bob Steele, Rufe Davis, and Tom Tyler, along with a handful of others who appeared in a limited number of stories. Of those I've seen, the pictures with Wayne seem to be the ones where the boys have the most fun in between corralling desperate outlaws.Here's something that caught my eye while watching this flick - this is the ONLY 'B' Western I've seen to date in which a cowboy, in this case a villain, uses a rifle with a scope! I don't know when they were invented and first used, but it seemed unusual here, I guess that's why I noticed it.Thinking back on some of the other Mesquiteers movies I've seen, I can't remember if the female lead ever became a serious romantic interest for the members of the trio. Wayne and Corrigan seemed to be jockeying for position to romance June Martel's character in this one, but nothing comes of it. Contrast that with virtually all of Wayne's pictures for Lone Star in the early 1930's; in those he closed out each story in a clinch with a pretty lady.

This was a definite look back at the past when John Wayne was very young and starting out on a great career in films. There really is no stampede, except the bad guys trying to blame Stony Brooke, (John Wayne) for a crime he did not commit. However, the local town people want justice and are convinced that Stony is responsible for this crime and must pay for it. Stony is put in jail and his lady friend, Nanvy Carson visits him while the jail is set on fire and they are both destined to die in the blaze. Tucson Smith,(Ray Corrigan) and Lullaby Joslin, (Max Terhune) try to come to his rescue. Lullaby Joslin is also a ventriloquist and there are some funny scenes with his dummy talking and making jokes. If you look real close, you will see the famous villain of all Western Films, Charlie King. Great John Wayne Classic film, enjoy.

William Farnum sends for The Three Mesquiteers to help him save his mining claim who some unscrupulous townspeople are trying to get a hold of. The villains are headed by town mayor LeRoy Mason.Mason proves to be a most resourceful villain. He kills Farnum and his little daughter and frames Wayne for the murder. When it looks like the Duke and Crash and Lullaby are going to get out of the frame, he gets a lynch mob going.This is the second film that I've seen where the Duke was the object of a lynch mob. In Range Law where he's also accused of murder, he's almost lynched as well. Marshal Buck Jones saves him in that one.LeRoy Mason played a lot of western villains and he gives the Mesquiteers a run for their money. He thinks pretty fast on his feet and it's a less nervy member of his own gang that ruins all his plans.How does Wayne get out of it? All I can say it's a rescue worthy of some of the serial cliffhangers.

"Santa Fe Stampede" is one of many Three Mesquiteers films made by Republic in the late 30s and early forties. The trio in this outing consisted of John Wayne, Ray "Crash" Corrigan and Max Terhune. For Wayne, this was the third of eight Three Mesquiteer films he appeared in and was his final "B" western series prior to his emergence as a major star.As usual the title of the movie bears little or no resemblance to the plot of the picture. The "Santa Fe" of the title is "Santa Fe Junction" and there is no stampede to be found, or for that matter, no cattle.What the film does have is a great cast. Wayne, Corrigan and Terhune look comfortable in their hero roles. Former silent screen star William Farnum, with his stage trained voice and elocution, plays the boys' friend and partner. The chief villain is played by Republic's busiest bad guy of the period, LeRoy Mason. In his gang of henchmen are such "B" western stalwarts as Charlie King, Bud Osborne and Dick Alexander. Tom London also appears as a marshal.In the video I watched, issued by Republic Pictures Home Video there are three minutes cut out. The key scene deleted involves the fate of the Farnum character and his young daughter, which some must have thought was too disturbing for young audiences. But I do not understand why the video didn't contain the complete version.Nevertheless, "Santa Fe Stampede" is a good way to spend an hour.